


Choice

by TheOnlyWife



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Family Fluff, Fluff, Found Family, Minor Injuries, but nothing serious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:55:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27702401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheOnlyWife/pseuds/TheOnlyWife
Summary: A series of events that lead Jazz to the conclusion that Dani is now part of the family.
Relationships: Danny Fenton & Danielle "Dani" Phantom, Danny Fenton & Jazz Fenton, Jazz Fenton & Danielle "Dani" Phantom
Comments: 14
Kudos: 72





	Choice

The first time Jazz met the ghost girl named Danielle, she wasn’t sure what to think. Danny had talked about her once or twice, mentioning ever so casually that she was his clone made by Vlad, his archenemy.

Of course she was suspicious. That’s what big sisters did: Look after their little brother. And if that meant keeping an ear to the ground for any signs of malicious intent leftover from Vlad’s influence, then that’s what she’d do.

So she did so, keeping distance for Danny’s sake, while also watching them go about their day. Danielle couldn’t legally go to school with Danny, but that didn’t stop her from invisibly following him around, whispering to him in classes where he’s supposed to be paying attention.

Sam had been feeding her the information, just as cautious as she was. Jazz would have to remember to pay her back for that. 

Danielle would even wait on the steps of Casper High for him when he told her she couldn’t go in. She followed him around everywhere, like a lost puppy. Or like the green ghost dog that followed Danny sometimes. Cujo, she thinks he named the dog, after a book she thought he’d never read. 

Danielle seemed to like the dog, leading him around on a bright red leash that Danny gifted to her. Danny would even walk with her for hours sometimes, even in the middle of the night, when dusk was far gone and the moon shone bright.

Jazz didn’t understand why Danny trusted her so much.

* * *

Jazz had seen them walking Cujo sometimes, yes, but she had no idea how much they did until she counted the hours they were gone. Yesterday it was two hours, today was three. 

Of course they would never get tired, especially with the unlimited energy Danielle had as a little girl who had ghost powers and supposed immortality, same as Danny.

Danny had talked to her about the possibility of immortality before, when he was not in a good place mentally. He was so scared of the idea and she felt so useless not being able to comfort him aside from a sisterly bear-hug.

Danielle, however, _was_ able to provide the comfort he needed. She could talk to him about it with such confidence, almost to a fault. How she knew that everything was going to be ok, even if it seemed impossible, was something Jazz couldn’t imagine.

But maybe that wasn’t what Danny needed. Maybe he needed someone to talk to about this besides the ghosts that weren’t either trying to destroy him or make him their own. Maybe what he needed was someone to relate to.

Jazz had no ghost powers, no enemies that wanted to kill her, or parents she was afraid of. If she was painfully honest, she couldn’t relate to her brother anymore.

So maybe, just maybe, she could get along with Danielle for Danny’s sake.

* * *

Another thing that became apparent was that Danielle liked fighting. She fought alongside Danny most of the time, taking on one or two enemies together almost every day.

Jazz should be thankful that Danny had someone else to watch his back, even someone Jazz didn’t trust entirely, but she wasn’t.

Because Danielle did the same things as Danny.

She taunted too long, she couldn’t dodge to save her life (even if it really was at stake), and ended every fight coming down to the wire. Whether that be a time restraint like class or Skulker almost getting his wish.

“You really should be more careful.” she told Danielle one morning, Danny and her sitting at the kitchen table, impatiently awaiting the breakfast she was making.

“She kicked my butt while she was melting.” Danny scoffed loudly. “I think she can handle herself.”

Jazz flipped her pancake somewhat aggressively. “I’m serious. One of you could get hurt.”

Danielle laughed. “I can kick any ghost’s butt if they come after us!” she cracked her knuckles together, awkwardly only popping one. “We’ll be fine.”

Jazz stewed in silence through that breakfast, watching the two of them wolf it all down in minutes. She could only do so much to warn them. She was trying to be a good big sister to Danny, but if he wouldn’t listen then Danielle wasn’t likely to either. It wasn’t her problem anyway. 

No matter how much it worried her.

* * *

“I cannot _believe_ you would be so reckless.” Jazz felt furious. Furious and nothing else. At least, that’s what she would say if asked.

“I had him! I just needed another minute to get out of his trap!” Danielle complained, groaning. She crossed her arms, steaming with frustration. “I didn’t even need Danny’s help this time.”

“He’s not the one you should be worried about.” Jazz dabbed away more blood off of Danielle’s arm with the second warm washcloth of the evening. “I am, considering _I’m_ the one bandaging you.”

“Speaking of which…” Danielle winced at the cool touch of the salve being spread on the deep gash on her upper arm. “Could you be a little gentler?”

“You’re just like him…” Jazz mumbled, beginning to wrap her arm tightly with Ace bandages. 

She’d used that for Danny so many times that it was a habit. She knew that she should use proper bandages, gauze, or any other supply their parents should keep around the house but don’t. Danny had complained that they never stayed on anyway so she never did. 

When Jazz deemed it good enough, she set down the rest of the supplies on her slightly bloody nightstand and turned Danielle’s face to look her in the eyes. 

“Danielle.” she said, seriously. “Please be more careful in the future. I don’t want you getting hurt any more than I want my brother to be hurt.”

“Sorry…” Danielle said, shrinking in one herself as Jazz spoke.

Jazz sighed deeply, then smiled. “Come on.” she pat her sheets gently and shifted so that Danielle could lie down next to her. “There’s a comfy bed just waiting for you.”

* * *

Jazz never woke up in the middle of the night. Danny had always been a light sleeper, but she wasn’t. She never had been. A habit she picked up while living with parents who worked into the latest of hours. So when she was woken before there was light outside for the first time in years, she knew it was for something important before she even opened her eyes.

She heard the distant sounds of sirens. She heard her dad snoring through her parents closed bedroom door. And, most importantly, she heard sniffles and nearly silent sobs.

She noticed right away that Danielle was not sleeping next to her. She sat up slowly, taking the time to look all around her room. Danielle hadn’t gone far; she was sitting on the floor, curled up against her bed.

And it was apparent that she was the one crying softly into her hands immediately.

“Danielle?” she asked gently. “Are you ok?”

All she got in response was a small “I’m fine” followed by another sniffle.

Danielle was definitely not ok. She recognized that tone. Danny had nightmares a lot. About the ghosts getting their wishes of killing him. About their parents finally catching him. About Dan.

He had a lot of things to be scared of.

Knowing all that, along with how to comfort him, she recognized that tone right away. The one where you’re just trying to hold it together. The tone where if you say more than a few words you’re going to cry again. 

She abandoned her blanket, setting it to the other side of her mattress. Swinging her legs off and sliding down to sit next to Danielle, she lowered her voice even further. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Danielle just shook her head, her shoulders curling in even further.

Jazz reached up and grabbed her blanket, pulling it down and over their backs. She and Danielle had gotten close over the past few weeks. Danielle liked soft blankets and plenty of sweets. She liked fighting and playing pranks. So of course Jazz knew her favorite song.

She began to hum a slower version of it, gently rocking with the tempo. Danielle took a few slow, shaking breaths, then leaned into her gently. She had red, puffy cheeks from crying, but no more tears were in her eyes.

The only light coming into her room, barely touching the wall in front of them and softly lighting up her room, was from her open windows with pulled-back curtains. She hadn’t noticed Danielle leaning into her more.

She was a growing girl who really needed to eat more, barely weighing anything at all.

Still, Jazz hummed softly, pulling the blanket draped across the two of them closer. At some point, she repeated the song. And again. And again. Until she was given a reprieve by Danielle’s quiet snores.

She hadn’t expected to be sitting on the floor singing a little girl to sleep from dusk until dawn, but here she was.

The Jazz who barely tolerated Danielle was long gone, whether or not she liked it.

* * *

Jazz hadn’t planned on going so formal, but she was always one to plan everything in her life down to the detail, so she couldn’t really complain. Tonight would just be a bit different from normal.

In her hands, with fold on the corners from fidgeting so much, held a small envelope, decorated with stickers of little green frogs (Danielle’s favorite animal) and a touch of glitter. She knocked on her own bedroom door, pushing it open slowly.

Danielle, like most of the time nowadays, was sat on her bed, trying out crochet, just like Jazz had taught her. Seeing Jazz, she set it to the side and floated off the bed, landing on the ground with a small creak from the floorboards.

Without letting her say a single word, Jazz handed her the envelope.

Danielle raised an eyebrow, but Jazz just gestured to it again. Shrugging, Danielle tore into the paper, revealing a small, light blue slip of paper, folded twice in on itself. Blue was Danielle’s favorite color as well, just as Jazz knew.

“Dear Danielle,” Dani began to read aloud. “You are formally invited to the Fenton’s monthly game night from now until forever.” She clenched the paper tighter with every word, until coming to a crawl at the last words. “From, your big sister, Jazz”

“What..?” Danielle looked up at her with big eyes.

“Welcome to the family, little sister.” Jazz opened her arms wide. Danielle jumped into a hug, tears streaming down her face.

Jazz meant ‘from now until forever’ in the literal sense. If Danny was as immortal as he feared, then he would never have to worry about being alone ever again.

Danielle, or, as she preferred, Dani, had very much grown on her. It wasn’t a matter of if she could get along with her for Danny’s sake anymore. Now it was about what she could do to make her feel like their house was her house, too.

And that’s what big sisters did: Look after their little brother and sister.

**Author's Note:**

> Gift work for whosvladagain on Tumblr!
> 
> As always, I love comments! Feel free to make as many as you'd like! Even a little ♥️ as an extra kudos is much appreciated!


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